Given the anticipation surrounding the 25th-anniversary update of The Lion King, there was no way I could miss experiencing it in theatres. When the star-studded cast was announced, including one Beyoncé Giselle Knowles carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Donald Glover as Simba, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, I had high expectations. Were they met? Graphically yes but otherwise more was expected.
So, here’s what I liked about this Disney remake. The story remained the same as the original, you could even say that it was a shot for shot remake of the 1994 classic with some minor changes. James Earl Jones was retained as Mufasa, another step in keeping the film true to the original. Hans Zimmer composed the original score as he did in ’94 and it was just as amazing as the original maybe a little more so. Contrary to popular opinions, Beyoncé didn’t “ruin the lion king” in fact her voice acting as Nala was quite captivating and Nala having more screen time gave the character more depth. She was a warrior and at the forefront of overthrowing scar as king to save the pride lands. As hard as it is to steal a show from Beyoncé, Billy and Seth did just that for almost the entire second half of the movie. Their comedic relief was easily a highlight in the 2hr screening, they were witty, hilarious and most importantly entertaining as hell. Pride rock and all the surrounding lands were beautifully depicted, the attention to detail is impeccable, it’s almost impossible to tell when the live-action stops, and the CGI animation begins. However, this realism left certain vital aspects of the movie lacking.
Albeit the actors did a splendid job voicing their characters, the CGI animation left a lot wanting in the emotions department. Simply put, the 2019 remake lacks the heart and soul the ’94 original was able to convey through emotive animated characters. Another downside to this hyper-realistic remake that’s hard to ignore – it exposes the simplistic plot and cringey approach to conflict resolution of the original. While the ’94 classic was able to hide these flaws with bright colorful animation and emotionally charged faces on the characters, Favreau was unable to keep these vital elements in the remake making it seem like I was tuned into NatGeo wild.
The lion king we all know, and love will forever be the superior version of the story, that being said I would still recommend seeing the remake in theatres. It’s definitely a visual spectacle. This is the third Disney remake we’ve gotten this year and something they all have in common (except Aladdin) is the lack of heart. There’s still the Mulan live-action to look forward to so let’s not completely write off the Disney reboots just yet. Thank you for reading, until next time sending you all love and light deuces!
Entertainment Enthusiast 